$1.1m disbursed to fund migration research

An amount of US$1.1 million has been disbursed to fund a research project aimed at examining migration as an adaptation option in South Asia and Africa.

The research will also cover the physical effects of people living in such areas and beyond as far as climate change is concerned.

The Delta, Vulnerability and Climate Change, Migration and Adaptation (DECCMA) project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID). DECCMA project

The five-year project will focus on the living conditions of people living in four main deltas: the Volta Delta in Ghana, the Mahanadi in India, the Nile in Egypt and the Ganges-Brahmaputra in Bangladesh and India.

It will also provide practical information and solutions on effective management of resources in the deltaic regions.

Making a presentation during the launch of the project in Accra, the Deputy Principal Investigator of the project, Dr Kwasi Appeaning Addo, said the end result of the project would provide policy directions to governments on how to maximise planning and programmes to the benefit of the region’s population.

He observed that a lot of people had perceived migration as a threat, and added that the research would focus on the positive sides of migration as an option as far as climate change was concerned.

He noted that the research would also explore the natural and social sciences approach, with focus group discussion as one of the methodologies.

When asked whether food security would be considered in the research, Dr Addo answered in the affirmative and added that “an aspect of the study will focus on agriculture, fisheries, addressing food security in that regard.” Team of experts

Dr Addo indicated that a team of experts had been drawn from several universities and institutions across the globe to undertake the project, giving an assurance of precise and accurate information.

He also noted that the intellectuals would work closely with the governments and the people in the deltaic communities to understand the challenges and how to deal with them.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, said the DECCMA project was timely and that it would add up to the various researches embarked upon by the university on climate change.

According to him, the project would also facilitate collaboration between the university and other institutions in Africa, Asia and Europe.

He indicated that the Vice Chancellor had provided GH¢1 million through a trans-disciplinary research group for the research on climate change on health, water resources, society and climate change innovation, with emphasis on green economy.

The Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Innovation, Dr Bernice Adiku Heloo, said the government had put measures in place to help address the issue of climate change and added that government would partner institutions and individuals who were prepared to address the issue.